Splashfire
by V. Thomas
Summary: Splashfire was born strong. Splashfire finished strong. Splashfire had her moments of weakness and her moments of strength. They are chronicled here.


**This story was requested by cakeengland of the Warrior Cats Forum. The information I was given is as follows.**

Character Name: Splashfire  
Character Physical Description: Long fur, ginger tabby fur, blue eyes.  
Character Personality: Intelligent, somehwat stubborn, but is willing to risk her life to save those she cares about.  
Family: None  
Clan: ThunderClan  
Final Rank in Clan: Leader.  
Mate: Wildface, a white tom with black patches, blue eyes. He is from ShadowClan. He is intelligent, but when he's confused he's more of a hinder than a help.  
Kits: Identical triplets - silver tabby she-cats with blue eyes. Petalkit is stubborn and defensive, Opalkit is dreamy and such and Dreamkit is enthusiastic and creative.

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Warriors series.**

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The birth of Splashkit was more of a blessing than ThunderClan ever dreamed, even after her time was long over.

Born at the tail end of newleaf, the ginger tabby was the only one in her litter. Her mother, Sunfeather, was healthy and strong at the time she gave birth, and passed this health on to Splashkit. Not only that, but Splashkit inherited her mother's brilliant pelt and her stubborn attitude. Like mother, like daughter, it seemed. The two she-cats were very much alike in their wit and appearance.

This wasn't to say, though, that there was nothing of Splashkit's father in the young she-cat. Her blue eyes, clear and bright, mirrored those of Sparrowclaw, as did her long, thick fur. Splashkit was a neat mix of her parents and proud to be so.

Her first few moons were spent largely with her mother in the nursery. As her father was a senior warrior, he did not drop by as frequently as other toms might. Sunfeather was sure to raise Splashkit to respect this, though.

"Your father is an important cat with big responsibilities," she explained. "Be proud of him for sticking to them."

And so, Splashkit accepted that her father coould not always be there to shower her in affection, and instead sought affection elsewhere. Most of the time, she found it with the other kits in the nursery. There were four others, all siblings and all slightly older than she was.

Heatherkit was the first of the siblings, a lean blue-gray she-cat with amber eyes. She often rallied her littermates together for whatever grand scheme was whirling through her mind at the time.

Then there was Dewkit. A silver tabby tom with amber eyes, he was the muscle to counter Heatherkit's brains. Fogkit was exactly like him except for the fact that she was of the opposite gender.

Finally there was Sootkit, a dark gray tom with green eyes. His role was the voice of reason, though he was rarely allowed the opportunity to lend his advice. His playmates were far too rambunctious to listen to his cautioning, so he usually ended up joining them in their antics rather than being left behind.

With Splashkit often in tow, the four siblings careened around the camp, flinging moss balls and tumbling through the dirt. Splashkit particularly liked it when they gathered by the camp entrance just as the patrols came in. More than once she used this to surprise her father and earn a purr or nuzzle from him. Sparrowclaw inevitably showed her the love she craved, even if he was initially exasperated by her actions.

The time came for Heatherkit and Company to be apprenticed, though, with the exception of Splashkit. Younger than her friends, she was to remain in the nursery. She begged Sunfeather to let her be apprenticed, but the ginger queen firmly refused, making as many attempts as possible to remind her daughter that good things come with patience.

In the end, Splashkit endured the nursery and survived being gentle to the younger kits long enough to make it to her apprentice ceremony. With the blessing of Featherstar, she was named a paw and given to Thrushtail for mentoring.

Initially, mentor and apprentice did not get on well. Splashpaw's stubborn insistence on only learning certain things had Thrushtail at his wit's end. The dark brown tabby was sure his student was sharp enough to master the things he tried to teach her. What baffled him was the way she so often rejected the battle moves and hunting techniques he believed she would excel at. All he received in the way of explanation was that Splashpaw liked certain techniques much more than others.

"You can't be a warrior without learning all the skills we use," he said one evening as they tussled in the snow. The ginger tabby had defiantly told him she didn't want to practice landing on her opponent's back, and Thrushtail had had it. "A real warrior practices everything they can instead of skipping tree-climbing or bird-hunting."

"I'm just better at other things!" Splashpaw insisted, tail bristling. But Thrushtail would not have it this time. Putting his foot down, he became just as obstinate as his apprentice. Only when he finally understood her training preferences did he relent.

Splashpaw was afraid of heights.

It had taken time to coax the information from her, but once the confession had been made, mentor and apprentice began to work together rather than against one another. Thrushtail made certain allowances, and Splashpaw was more willing to perform the tings asked of her. All in all, her training progressed finely, so finely that she was named a warrior alongside the four littermates she'd grown up just behind.

Feather start seemed apprehensive throughout the ceremony, though. As she named Heatherpaw Heatherlight, and changed Fogpaw to Fogpelt, her plumy tail lashed about. The anxious movements grew move obvious as Dewpaw was named Dewfang, and when Sootpaw became Sootstorm, Splashpaw began to wonder what was on the gray she-cat's mind. However, shw was called up to stand beside her leader before she could question her mentor about it.

Shortly she was Splashfire, named for her energy and strong will. Touching Featherstar's shoulder with her nose, she padded away to join her fellow warriors. As she went, she saw her parents sitting together with their tails intertwined happily. Pride surged through her and she lifted her chin to meet the yowls of encouragement from her Clan. It was a fine occasion indeed.

The five cats' vigil passed without incident. The following night, however, did not.

With the cold leafbare moon hovering in the sky, Thudnerclan crept along the lakeshore towards the fallen tree connecting the beach to the island. One by one, they slipped across the slippery trunk, claws sinking into the bark where hundreds of cats had walked before. Splashfire was enthralled, sure the Gathering Place had changed now that she was a warrior. Distracted as she was, she crashed into a ShadowClan tom who had been in her path. Quickly they exchanged apologies, and Splashfire was surprised to find that the black-and-white tom was so cordial. She had not expected that from a member of a rival Clan.

Giving one another their names and a final apology (the tom was called Wildface), they parted to sit with their Clanmates. For some time, intrigued by Wildface's politeness, Splashfire did not pay any attention to the leaders perched in the tree. Featherstar's announcement at the Gathering's end changed that, though.

The branch beneath the gray leader quaked as she rose to her paws. "I am leaving ThunderClan," she declared softly. Splashfire couldn't help but gasp. How could Featherstar even consider such a thing?

In spite of the screeches of protest from the Clans below, Featherstar went on to explain that she was no longer fit to lead. Even when her Clanmates pressured her to reveal her reasons, she would not. Her fellow leaders were loath to accept her apparent resignation, but when Featherstar began to quiver and look as if she were tempted to dive from the tree and streak away, they relented.

Splashfire couldn't believe it. Featherstar had become leader shortly after she was born. As far as the ginger tabby was concerned, her leader was the only one she'd ever known. Featherstar leaving ThunderClan was simply unthinkable.

As cats began to slink away from the leaders' tree and back to the mainland, Splashfire found herself falling into step beside Featherstar, who was rushing to be the first of her Clan across the log. The silver tabby's eyes were wide with what appeared to be fear, and Splashfire pleaded with the she-cat to slow down and reconsider.

"I can't," Featherstar replied. "I can't stay. I'm too distracted. It's not something any cat in this Clan can understand. They're happy here, and I'm not." She offered nothing more than that and broke away from Splashfire to streak off into the night. It had been expected that she would say her farewells back at the camp, but it seemed that ThunderClan was to be denied that. More than a few cats considered racing after her, but Foxfur, the deputy, stopped them from doing so. He acknowledged that there had been something wrong with her in the previous moons and that she had made her choice. Splashfire simply thought back to Featherstar's insistence that no one would understand before nodding her head in acceptance.

And so it was that Foxstar came to be and Thrushtail was named the deputy of ThunderClan. Splashfire was certainly glad for her mentor, but couldn't help but think he'd only gotten to the position because Featherstar had some secret too precious and too painful for her Clan to know about.

Time passed. Splashfire found herself enjoying Clan life in spite of Featherstar's absence. It was peaceful, patrols were sent as a formality, and the prey began to run well once newleaf came. In addition, one of the queens gave birth to five healthy kits shortly after Featherstar's departure. By the end of newleaf, Splashfire found herself receiving her first apprentice.

Nettlepaw was a boisterous young tom, with all the energy Splashfire remembered possessing in her earliest days. They were an excellent match on Foxstar's part because they kept one another on their toes with all sorts of challenges. Nettlepaw had endless enthusiasm, and Splashfire had the creativity to keep him busy.

One afternoon as they were practicing their climbing near the ShadowClan border, Nettlepaw high in one of the trees and Splashfire on the ground watching his ascent, there was a commotion across the border. Splashfire swiveled her ears towards the source of the noise and found that a heated argument was taking place. To her surprise, one of the voices sounded familiar.

When Nettlepaw looked down for reassurance, the ginger tabby signaled for him to remain quiet with a flick of her tail. Then she slipped through the undergrowth, moving ever closer to the border in her curiosity. Shortly she arrived at the scent-markers, and with a holly bush concealing her, she watched as Wildface argued heatedly with a slender gray tabby she-cat. It amazed her, the way they accused one another of lying. In the end, it appeared that the two ShadowClan warriors had thought themselves to be in love, when they really weren't. The gray tabby stalked away with her ears flat against her head, while Wildface lowered his muzzle to the ground.

"She acts like she's too good for you," Splashfire mewed, emerged from the holly. Wildface whirled to face her, but must have recognized her from the Gathering moons past, as he did not bristle or spit.

"She probably is too good for me," he replied sulkily. Splashfire found that she pitied this patchy tom who may have just lost a potential mate. Deciding to be the friend rather than the enemy, she offered him the only advice she could think of.

"Find someone better than her."

Then, satisfied that her remark could serve the tom well, she returned to training with Nettlepaw, who had obediently remained in his tree.

As the moons passed and Nettlepaw grew into a fine apprentice, they spent more of their training near the ShadowClan border. Splashfire often accompanied the patrols going in that direction, and when she hunted alone, she passed that way out of habit. At first, it had been to see if Wildface and the gray tabby would try again or if he would take her advice. Splashfire never saw them together after the first argument, but frequently found Wildface by himself along the border. Each time, she would ask him if he had found someone, and each time he told her he hadn't. However, a quarter-moon after Nettlepaw had been named Nettlefang, Splashfire found her ShadowClan friend at the border again and asked him her usual question. This time he told her he had found a she-cat he thought would be worth his attention.

"And I think I'm worth her attention, too," he added, tail curling in delight.

"Good for you," she told him. To her surprise, she found that she meant it. After seeing the black-and-white tom so morose the last few moons, the change in his demeanor was actually very pleasant. She let out a purr and bid him goodbye, but he jumped to chase after her.

Cocking her head in confusion, Splashfire was pulled into a grand love affair as Wildface confessed that he found her to be a good she-cat that he could see himself loving until StarClan claimed the both of them. The ginger tabby wasn't even appalled by the thought of loving this rival tom when he confessed his feelings for her. She'd treated him kindly and forged a friendship that was almost as strong as the ones she'd had in her kithood, and now it seemed that she could kindle it further.

They continued to meet in secret by the old Twoleg nest. As it turned out, they were worth one another's attention. Splashfire's energy and compassion left the normally composed Wildface in a state of constant giddiness, and parting each time made them realize how bittersweet it all was. They didn't give up, though, even in the face of the next harsh leafbare or possible scrutiny from Clanmates. The two of them were hopelessly in love with one another against all the odds.

At the end of leafbare, Splashfire took on another apprentice. Fernpaw was a sweet she-cat, but not as impulsive as her mentor. She also left the ginger tabby unable to meet with Wildface as often as she would have liked. He understood, though, having been given an apprentice of his own to look after.

Tragedy struck for both ThunderClan and ShadowClan as newleaf was again underway. Foxstar had found ShadowClan scent far too close to the border on one patrol, and decided that boundaries needed to be reestablished. He had the audacity to confront the next patrol about it, and Wildface happened to be on that patrol, along with some of the ShadowClan senior warriors. With Foxstar were Sparrowclaw, Splashfire, and Heatherlight, as well as young Rainpaw. ShadowClan denied Foxstar's claims, and ThunderClan would not stand for it. A skirmish broke out, and within minutes, winners were decided. Sparrowclaw had been killed, a violent strike to the head missing as he reeled back, only to tear through his neck. His killer was the gray she-cat Splashfire had seen Wildface pining after, and the ginger tabby would have taken her revenge had it not been her father lying on the ground, eyes empty and turned to the sky.

Later that night, with ThunderClan in mourning, Splashfire was named deputy in her father's place. Foxstar did not show his grief or his injuries as openly as Splashfire did, and she almost resented him for it. She felt as if she, the lower cat in the Clan, were the better cat because she showed how she felt about the loss they were trying to endure.

But life went on.

With her new duties as deputy, Splashfire was less and less able to meet with Wildface at the old nest. She suspected he might be bitter about it, but could not change that. Fernpaw was named Fernwing. Lionpaw was given to Splashfire to apprentice shortly afterward. She was worn by her constant responsibilities, and tempted to give it all up to be with Wildface. Life with Wildface was far simpler.

One evening, when she had time to herself, Splashfire made her way to the Twoleg nest, praying to StarClan that Wildface would be there. He was not. However, another familiar face was.

"Featherstar?" Splashfire gasped as she padded into the nest. The tabby she-cat looked haggard, but purred.

"Splashfire," she mewed. "Looking for your mate, the ShadowClan one?"

Splashfire was taken aback by her former leader's comment. She made an attempt to deny her relationship with the tom, but Featherstar already knew. Instead of scolding her, though, she purred and promised that Splashfire was part of something great, even if it was dangerous. Then she turned to leave with nothing more. Splashfire tried to get her to stop, but Featherstar did not, only glancing back briefly as she trotted out.

"Now you understand why I couldn't lead. I had someone else," she meowed simply, eyes shining. "I'm happier for it. But be stronger than me, will you?" After that, she slipped into the forest, leaving Splashfire puzzled but almost determined to please her former leader by staying with her Clan. Choice made, she returned to her den that night for sleep, knowing she had peace of mind.

In the end, Splashfire succeeded Foxstar as leader of ThunderClan. As Splashstar, she received lives from Featherstar, Sparrowclaw, and Sootstorm, among others. The Clan received her well, and in spite of their difficulty meeting, Wildface was just as proud. They continued their secret flirting without being discovered, and one leaffall, Splashstar found herself pregnant. She later gave birth to identical silver tabbies. Naming them Opalkit, Petalkit, and Dreamkit, she found that they had the same blue eyes as their father. No one would ever know, but she adored that small feature all the same.

Shortly before her three daughters became warriors, Splashstar lost her final life to an outbreak of greencough. From StarClan, she watched as Petalpaw stubbornly work her way up through the Clan ranks, and as Opalpaw learned all she could about the wonders and mysteries of having a medicine cat's connection to StarClan. She had a particularly fond spot for the way Dreampaw tried to teach younger kits and apprentices from other Clans. Proud of her kits, she turned herself to watching Wildface. He lived to be old and gray in the muzzle. Even in the face of losing his mate, he still managed to be a fine warrior, and when he spotted his daughters at Gatherings, Splashstar saw every fond glance he cast their way. The ginger tabby resided in StarClan with a purr always in her throat and a smile in her eyes. Her life had been full and happy, and her death still allowed her to be close to her loved ones, even if they didn't know. All was well.


End file.
